EpisodeReview

(S08E12) Stephen Root didn't set the building on fire, but last night's '24' was the best episode of the season so far.

Jack and Cole teamed up to chase down Tarin, but their potential buddy cop moments were undercut by an overzealous SWAT team leader and some very crafty terrorists. For the first time in a long time, '24' delivered edge of your seat suspense and some truly exciting twists and turns. Spoilers after the jump.

(S01E02) If there's one thing that Human Target gets right, it's the action. This episode just kind of sat there until Chance started kicking the assassin's teeth in at the fifteen-minute mark. The fight scene wasn't as nuts as Sunday night's bloody train tussle, but it added some much needed energy to the first half of this episode. And things only got crazier a few minutes later when Chance uttered the line of the night: "We're gonna flip the plane!"

Flipping an airplane at 30,000 feet would probably be a "jump the shark" moment for most other shows. But not on Human Target, a show so ridiculous and over-the-top that "jump the shark" simply does not apply.

I love the tone and spirit of this show. It's retro and fun and a little tongue-in-cheek, but it's also packed with some very appealing characters, compelling stories and a top notch cast. The first half of tonight's ep left me a little cold, but I was still invested enough to want to see how it would all turn out in the end. And I'm glad I stuck around.

(S02E09) Another solid episode from one of the funniest shows on TV. "The Long and Winding High Road" was a great companion piece to the brilliant 8 p.m. ep. I didn't think anything could top getting "Phil-a-busted," but I actually found myself laughing more during this episode than I did while watching "The Impertence Of Communicationizing."

Again, Ted's storyline kinda went nowhere, but we still got the usual stream of non-stop jokes and clever callbacks. We learned that Ted is such a stand-up guy that he opts to take the high road in any situation, even when his office rival is trying to undermine his latest project.

(S02E08) In the spirit of this episode, lemme just say that ABC is a wasteland full of baboon-butted snot wipes for not giving this show a better timeslot.

OK, it felt good to get that out. Now let's get on with this ...

I hate corporate memos. I hate the jargon, the suggestions, and especially the phony "Ra Ra Ra, Go Team!" messages that are usually tacked on at the end of them. But I've never received a memo advising me to insult my co-workers with abusive language. Of course, I've never worked for Veridian Dynamics, a place where sexual harassment is considered a disease and people are attacked by super lice.

Major crimes was back on the job with a case that was gruesome and grim at the same time. How Brenda managed to face the morning crime scene without blanching is proof that she's as tough as nails beneath that smiling, sweet Southern facade. Brenda needed to be when dealing with a triple homicide, gang rape and possible gang war. Welcome to L.A. More on the case and the kitty situation, after the jump.

(S07E10) There's something to be said about a good situation setting up a situation comedy. It didn't take much to get Charlie off and running on this episode, and after a bit of yelling and a "drop dead," we were off to the races. How it spiraled from one thing to the other is one of the best things about Two and a Half Men. That and the ever-present kick in the pants that Alan endures time and time again, even when he doesn't deserve it.

Oh, and the flashbacks were worth every commercial break. "I Had the Time of My Life" indeed. More after the jump.

(S01E11) Distractions abounded in this latest episode of Glee. Most of the characters were causing distraction or being distracted from the situation at hand, and we were back to most of the soapy aspects of the show. Teri and Quinn were both thinking about the baby, and Will and Finn remained as in the dark as ever. More on that and other complications after the jump.

(S07E08) Monk should have wrapped the season with last week's episode, ending on a high point, because this show was in many ways a downer. The case, such as it was, was pretty flimsy. The clues were presented so early and rather ungracefully that unless you were really unfamiliar with the Monk formula, it was a cinch to guess who was really the "guy."

The real novelty was Monk's getting in touch with his inner child. That and Tim Bagley returning as Harold Krenshaw. It's always fun when Monk's nemesis shows up, but this was a reborn Harold. Thanks to his new shrink, Dr. Kleinman, Harold wasn't interested in competing with Monk. He just wanted to embrace the wonders of life.

(S03E05) Methuselah Honeysuckle and Old Scratch Johnson -- The names Henry Spencer gave Gus and himself while Shawn was introducing them at the DA's office.

Ready for this? We are nearly three-quarters of way through the first half of the third season of Psych. After this week's episode there are only two more left until the season takes a break. Other than the annual holiday special that will air in December the next time we will see Shawn and Gus after the first week of September will be the middle of January. So, enjoy while you can.

Well, I kept wishing for an episode where Henry and Shawn would truly work together on a case. And, I got my wish this week. Not only did they work on a case together, but it was Henry's biggest case while he was still on the police force. So, there was really pressure on both the younger and older Spencer men to solve the case. Of course, this led to some tension between the two.

(S02E05) For the first 52 minutes (including commercials) of tonight's Army Wives, I was wondering where it was going, and -- I have to admit -- I was getting a little impatient. It seemed like a lot of little bits weren't adding up for a very cohesive episode.

Then the last act kicked in and I found myself in tears. The memorial service at the end for the MIA soldier whose remains were finally being returned from Vietnam was a knockout. It just took some time to get to that point.

The heart of the show was Trevor's return from Iraq and his difficulties dealing with the aftermath of killing the man who shot and wounded him. He's uncomfortable with being labeled a hero.

(S19E16) SPRINGFIELD: GOOD -- The new town slogan that cost Mayor Quimby the entire treasury of Springfield.

When it comes to supporting characters The Simpsonshave them up the proverbial wahoo. Many, like Flanders, Mr. Burns, Apu, and Millhouse, are distinct personalities with lengthy back stories that we the fans know quite well. Others, like Bumblebee Man, Cletus, Kent Brockman, and Comic Book Guy, are known, but only by the stereotypes that they have been given. Fortunately, most of them have been given spotlight episodes to flesh them out a bit more.

While these episodes have been hit or miss I have always found them to be quite interesting because they gave a different perspective on life in Springfield.

(S19E13)"Young man, I'm going to be on you like a numerator on a denominator" -- Principal Skinner to Donny the informant

It's been a looong time since we had an episode of The Simpsonsthat focused on that young rapscallion Bart and his status of Prankmaster at Springfield Elementary. Frankly, I was starting to get a bit worried that we wouldn't see one at all this season and that all we would get is one episode after another focusing on Homer and his hi-jinks. Luckily, someone at FOX or the offices of The Simpsons realized this and gave us an installment that not only reignited the feud between Bart and Principal Skinner, but parodied the Martin Scorsese film The Departed. Plus, it was actually a good episode.

Hi again, everybody! Jason has American Idol duty this week, so I'll be handling the reviews for this week's installment of Eli Stone. When you think about it Idol and Eli have a lot in common...they each feature singing numbers on their shows. I guess the major difference, other than one being a reality game show and the other being a legal drama, is that no one on Idol has visions. Well, with Paula Abdul you never know. Anyway, on with the review.

I felt that this was the strongest episode of the season since the premiere and that the program may have finally hit its groove. It's been touch and go for the first few episodes as the character of Eli has been established and the cast surrounding him has been fleshed out a bit. And, there was a bit of worry when the plot started to veer away from Eli and focus on cases by the other partners in the firm. But, it looks like they found the right mix with, at least, this episode.